Information and Updates on Getting the Most out of the UGL

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You did it! Finals are over and summertime (well, almost) in the UGL has started. For those of you who in town or who are taking classes, the UGL will be open. Come on in and check out some DVD’s or video games. If you need a space to study, you’re in luck, the UGL has various spots where you can relax or do homework.

We will be closed May 24th and 25th. There are a couple of days where the UGL is closed, so if you have any questions, feel free to check the hours on the library gateway page. Have a great summer and be on the lookout for our summertime reader’s advisory blogs and other fun stuff!

As most of you already know, finals week has arrived. It’s that time of the year where everyone is pulling all nighters and frantically searching for those notes they took back in January. Remember that the UGL will be open 24 hours, 7 days a week until Friday, May 15th at 7 PM. In order to ease your stress, the UGL also has some study tips for productivity and success.

Tip 1: Make a list

Make a list of all the tasks you have to do! Photo courtesy of John. Schultz via Flickr Media Commons

Create a list of everything that has to be done this week. This includes school and non-school work. It works best if you make a list, but separate the two. Then, prioritize and organize. Finals week is a time of great stress and sometimes you forget that the electric bill is due because you were too busy concentrating on a paper.

Tip 2: Review, review, review

Review the concepts. Photo courtesy of wudzt via Flickr Commons

Review your notes everyday. Looking over class notes for about 10 or 15 minutes per day can be helpful in retaining information. Don’t wait until the day before the exam to study all the material.

Tip 3: Study aids

Study Aids. Photo courtesy of Yin Tung Ho via Flickr Media Commons

Study aids can be a great resource for not only finals week, but for tests or quizzes. Check out the subject guides that the Undergraduate Library has to offer. You’ll find a variety of different topics. If you want a little study break mixed with productivity, check out the UGL’s Pinterest board on study tips. On our study tips board, there are some cool infographics you can check out. See? You can still have fun while doing something productive.

Is there something you just don’t understand? Talk to your TA or Professor. Find out if they have office hours, if not, email. Communicating to your teacher about difficulties is key. Forming study groups is also a good idea. Learning concepts with a group of people can be beneficial. You never know, they might have the same questions as you.

Tip 5: Summary sheet

Make a summary sheet so that you cover all the concepts in class. Photo courtesy of Kevin Dooley via Flickr Media Commons

In order to go over everything that was taught in the class, develop a summary sheet for yourself. This way, you will have no surprises and it will also refresh your memory. Summary sheets can be done for each class.

Make a mini-quiz for yourself in order to see if you are retaining all that information. It doesn’t have to be long, maybe 5 or 7 questions. These quizzes will also allow you to gauge your knowledge and what you might need to work on.

Tip 7: Take a break every once in a while! All of this studying can be stressful and you need to take some time to your self. Did you know that the UGL has a gaming center? Come take a study place with your friends. The UGL also has a great media selection. Watching a comedy or horror movie will ease your study time from finals.

Tired of studying? Take a nap! Photo courtesy of The LEAF Project via Flickr Media Commons

If you need help with research or anything else, come to the UGL and ask us! or, if you’re at home and need immediate help, go to Ask a Librarian. Good luck with finals, you’re almost there.

The Spring semester is almost to an end and finals are near. Take a break and refresh with therapy dogs at the UGL, Grainger, and Funk ACES libraries. And check out the UGL’s first-ever De-Stress Fest, featuring yoga, coloring books, McKinley Stress Management Peers, and the UIUC Counseling Center. For the grand finale, Uggles the UGL Cat (weather permitting) will be outside of the UGL for a meet-and-greet!

Join us for the de-stress fest!

The Therapy Dog Schedule is:

May 7th ACES:

Jeannie 2-4 PM
Fitz 2-4 PM
Wyatt the Cat 2-4pm

May 11th Grainger:
Sam 2-4 PM
Lilly 2-4 PM
Atlas 2-3 PM

May 12th UGL:
Raven 2-4 PM
Twiggy 3-4 PM
Atlas 2-3 PM

The De-Stress Fest will include Chair Yoga sessions provided by Christine Janak (http://www.christinejanak.com/). Two sessions will take place at 2:15 to 2:45 and 3:00-3:30. The UIUC Counseling Center will also be at the UGL providing information on campus de-stress resources, as well as the McKinley Stress Management Peers.

There will also be a scheduled meet and greet with Uggles the UGL Cat on Tuesday May 12th on the plaza level outside the UGL (weather permitting). Take this opportunity to take a selfie with #Uggles.

This cutie will be at Grainger on May 11th. She is a Goldendoodle with many talents. They include being a registered therapy dog and a certified Reading Education Assistance Dog (READ). Like many dogs, her likes include snuggling, playing with humans, and listening to a good book.

Hercules and Fitz

Hercules and Fitz

We also have Hercules and sibling, Fitz. Fitz is a visla/chocolate lab mix, while Hercules is a boxer/Boston terrier/American Staffordshire terrier.They both enjoy chasing each other and squirrels, taking naps, and being cuddled. They will be at ACES on May 7th, so come say hi!

Raven

Raven, on the left

Raven is a Standard Poodle.She does most of her therapy work at libraries and loves people from all ages. In order to relax, Raven likes to play fetch with Frisbees and tennis balls. She will be at the UGL on May 12th.

Sam

Sam in all his glory. Photo courtesy of the Media Commons

Sam is an adorable and fuzzy Alaskan Malamute. He is great company and enjoys when people pet him. Like everyone, he is not a fan of finals but is very happy to be at UIUC to relieve peoples stress. Sam will be at Grainger on May 11th. Come on by and take a picture with him!

Wyatt

Wyatt the Cat. Photo courtesy of Lori Kistler

Wyatt is a “puppy cat.” What does this mean? He loves people petting him and how good of a boy he is, He is 6 years old and has been a certified therapy cat for 2 years, His likes includes getting petted by humans and eating junk food. Wyatt will be at ACES on May 7th.

Remember, these are just a couple of dogs (and cats) that will be here during finals week. Mark them on your calendar and we look forward to seeing you all there.

It was the dawn of the Fourth Age of Middle Earth. In the long and horrific war for the Ring, the forests of Middle Earth suffered great losses at the hands of Saruman and the orcs of Sauron. Treebeard and his fellow Ents slowly rebuilt the forests, though their work was long and arduous. Under the blessing of Aragorn, the forests regained their strength and the tower of Saruman was overrun with new forests: the Watchwood. Treebeard was proud of his kinsmen and was pleased to see peace being restored to Middle Earth. The other Ents were quite pleased as well, and most buried their roots to return to life as it was before the war.

Courtyard Tree, now also known by its nickname, Treebeard. Photo courtesy of the Media Commons

Treebeard, however, found that he was not ready to plant his roots in one place. He knew that the gift of wisdom would be wasted if he stayed. Although he regretted parting from his fellow Ents, Treebeard set out on an adventure of his own, in search of people to aid and forests to rebuild. He traveled long and far from the Watchwood and with each day he encountered fewer of his kin. He grew lonely in these strange lands, and at times he considered returning to Watchwood. But he traveled on towards the northern most parts of Arnor, into a land that, to his knowledge, had not yet been traveled or mapped. He was utterly alone. Accompanied only by his desires to spread his wisdom.

For many years, Treebeard wandered through and beyond the Northern Waste. The beard on his face grew long and unkempt. The limbs of his branches began to bow as he grew weary. Just as he began to worry he would never find what he was seeking, he came upon a vast forest at the end of Middle Earth. He was overcome with happiness as the forest resembled the old home he left long ago. As he entered the forest, he was entranced by the familiar smells and sights of it. The soil beneath his roots felt rich and healthy. He saw tall, strong trees with vibrant colors and thick bark. The creatures of the forest lived happily within the dense branches and leaves. He was reminded of days long ago, when he had watched over the forests of Middle Earth. He was reminded, too, of the many travelers who sought wisdom and guidance among the Ents. Here, in this forest, although it was rich and healthy, he would find no travelers and his wisdom was not needed. The forest reminded him of his purpose and lifted his spirits. Although it is hard to say exactly what route he traveled along, for even he cannot recall, Treebeard found his way from Middle Earth to a strange land that natives called Illinois.

There in Illinois, he happened upon a building that was constructed underground like a hobbit hole. He saw a sign with strange letters which read “Undergraduate Library.” He was told that an Undergraduate Library was a place where knowledge was sought and gained. He was overjoyed to have discovered a place whose whole purpose was to store and dispense wisdom. Treebeard knew he had arrived at his destination, and so he planted his roots right in the middle of the courtyard. Here, the natives, which called themselves “undergrads”, could come to him for advice and guidance.

For more information on Treebeard, the Ents, or the rest of Tolkein’s Middle Earth look no further than the UGL. For Tolkein’s books about Middle Earth follow the link here. Don’t forget the resources in the UGL’s media collection. For the movies inspired by the books, check out our catalog.

Lord of the Rings

Come visit Treebeard in all his glory. He is located in the courtyard on the lower level of the UGL.

The countdown until finals is T-minus 19 days until the first day of finals. We can do this and you can do it. As we are working hard to get our projects going and our papers finished, there are 2 places on campus that can help. The Undergraduate Library and the Writers Workshop. On Tuesday, April 21st from 7-10 PM (Room 291), the Writer’s Workshop and the UGL will have a research/writing cram night. Do you have a paper that you need someone to look over? Are you having trouble with finding scholarly articles? Then this cram night is the place for you!

Our friends, Michael and McCall at the Writers Workshop, were kind enough to grant us a small interview to talk more about this event.

How long will the appointments be?

Michael: 15 minutes, which is the same as our drop-in hours

Location?

Michael: Room 291 (which is a computer lab)

What can students bring?

McCall: Any type of writing that they want to have looked at (yes, that includes cover letters and resumes)

Michael: Typically what we’re looking for when we do our cram sessions or midnight madness, are people who are coming in with papers. Undergraduate course papers are what we see the most. These hours are more for last minute citation issues and last minute questions about content or organization.

What’s your favorite library resource?

Michael: I usually use the Purdue OWL, because it’s such an incredible compendium of resources and also teaching people how to do a nuance search of a database is really helpful.

McCall: I have to agree, freshman year, I had no idea how to use the library and I really wasn’t that familiar. From my high school experience on how to do research on this scale and using a university library, being able to help people with that is really useful.

What can students do to get the most out of this appointment?

Michael: Come prepared with specific questions. It’s 15 minutes and those 15 minutes will go fast. They know their writing, so when they’re coming to this, have an idea of what their major concerns are and what other specific anxieties about this specific question for this particular assignment.

McCall: If it’s a longer paper just come in for getting help on one or two things.15 minutes goes fast! Maybe help on working on a thesis statement, introduction, or specific paragraph.

What are you waiting for? Come join us on Tuesday night (April 21st) from 7-10 PM in room 291 on the upper level of the UGL! Remember, librarians will also be there to help with your research needs. We hope to see you there.

As the year comes to an end, we have projects, papers, and all sorts of things going on. It can be a bit overwhelming, but if you know the resources available and where to find them, it doesn’t have to be that bad. Our UGL 101 for this week is the library’s subject guides.

We have more subject guides available that cover a wide variety of topics. If you go to the UGL website and click on “subject guides”, below the search bar, you can browse or search the subject guides.

Now, there are hundreds of subject guides, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be overwhelming. If you’d like to browse to see what we have, no problem! Click on a subject, which are organized alphabetically. You can also browse by keyword.

Once you have selected your guide, there are a couple of resources available in them. For example, let’s say we’re looking at the “Natural Disasters” subject guide. In this guide, we will find an infographic on the first page of links to starting research points. These resources include government websites, statistics, and subject databases. The tabs for this subject guide are background information, ways of finding articles and books, and credible websites related to this topic.

Natural Disasters Subject Guide.

The UIUC Library has subject guides for tons of topics. Chances are, we have a subject guide for your research paper! If not, we’re always here to help. Come get help at Office Hours from Sunday to Friday 1-5, at a desk in front of the Writer’s Workshop.

Welcome back from Spring Break. We’re nearing the end of the semester and finals are just around the corner. To ease the pain, we will be hosting the Gaming Expo, right here at the UGL. On April 9th, from 6-9 PM (upper level, near the video gaming area), you will be able to play our vintage games from our vault, compete with your buddies with games from our collection, check out our Loanable Technology items, and enjoy a study break!

UGL Gaming Expo 2015.

For those of you who are surprised, yes, we have a video game center and some great games from our collection. For all you Maria Kart fans out there, the UGL Media Collection has Double Dash, Super Circuit, Super Mario and much more. To those who are wondering, we do indeed have FIFA (2010, 2011, and so on).

Mario Kart. Photo courtesy of Mikey Lemoi via Flickr

Some of us aren’t daily gamers, but no worries, the UGL has something for everyone. Minecraft allows players to build and construct their own world. Final Fantasy for those of us who like role-playing games. Football season may be over, but that doesn’t mean that you have to stop playing. Treat yourself to some Madden NFL.

Madden 09. Photo courtesy of Gamerscore Blog via Flickr

We will also have some of our loanable technology out for display. If you have your own consoles and would like to play them in the comfort of your own dorm or apartment, we have what you’re looking for. Available for checkout at the UGL are the Nintendo 3DS XL handheld gaming consoles and the Wii U and PS4. The UGL isn’t all books, come by the expo to check out the items.

Nintendo 3DS XL. Photo courtesy of the Media Commons

Last but not least, we will have our Nintendo 64, straight from our vault of vintage games and gaming consoles. Challenge your friends to an exciting game of Super Mario Kart. What are some of your favorite video games? Let us know in the comments below.

Happy Spring Break! We hope that you have a fun, productive, and safe break. For those of you who will be in Champaign-Urbana, the UGL will have different hours this week. Also, sometime during spring break, part of the plaza level stairs will be closed. There will be signage direction patrons to use the elevators.

Bell Tower from the Plaza. Photo courtesy of the UGL Media Commons

Friday, March 20th: The UGL will close early, at 7 PM.

Saturday, March 21st and March 22nd: The UGL will be closed

March 23th-March 27th: The UGL will open at 8:30 AM and close at 5 PM

Saturday, March 28th: The UGL will be closed

Sunday, March 29th: The UGL will open at 1 PM and resume their regular hours.

In just one week, you will be able to enjoy the time known as Spring Break. Most of us are going home, traveling to exciting places, volunteering, or staying around Champaign-Urbana. We will use this time to catch up on projects, papers, and homework. Remember that it is a break and it’s important to take a couple of hours to do fun activities or take the time to learn new recipes or hobbies. Prepare yourself for our Spring Break Advisory!

If you’re thinking of taking up a new hobby, gardening might be the hobby for you. The weather is nice and it is almost time to plant new flowers or vegetables.

The Mix and Match Guide to Companion Planting by Josie Jeffery

If you are interested in planting vegetables, this is a helpful resource. You will be able to plant a healthy and happy garden. For those who are unfamiliar with gardening, “The Mix and Match Guide to Companion Planting” is a great book that will guide you step-by-step!

Fresh From the Farm by Susie Middleton

Take Spring Break as an opportunity to learn new recipes. “Fresh from the Farm” by Susie Middleton provides great opportunities for new cooking skills. It includes 125 seasonal recipes, so for this Spring, bring your cooking tools and get ready to learn some skills that will impress your friends and family members.

Game of Thrones

With the season premiere of Game of Thrones coming soon, it is only obvious what should be done over spring break. Binge watch the whole series. You heard it right, it may be possible for you to watch all 4 seasons, before the 5th season premieres in April. In order to take full charge of this task, you will need to get that studying done within the first 3 days of Spring Break. After you are all done, you will be ready to watch the series in peace. For those of you who want to read the book series before starting the television series, don’t worry, we got you covered. For the television series, click here. For the books, check out what is available.

The World Atlas of Coffee by James Hoffmann

“The World Atlas of Coffee: From Beans to Brewing” by James Hoffmann is a great way to pick up a new hobby–coffee brewing. While it may seem like a simple process, there are various ways that coffee is brewed and prepared around the world. From ground coffee to espresso, immerse yourself in the world of coffee.

Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties by Kevin Gascoyne

For those of you who do not like coffee, the art of preparing tea is an interesting one. It is the world’s second most popular beverage, so what are you waiting for? With “Tea: History, terroirs, varieties” by Kevin Gascoyne will give you information on tea history, tea families, tea ceremonies, and much more.

What are you doing for Spring Break? Any fun plans? Let us know in the comments below!

We are halfway though the semester and midterms are here! Yes, not many people are excited about having to turn in papers, projects, and study for midterm exams. It can be very overwhelming and sometimes your dorm room or apartment is not the best place to study and get work done. Don’t you worry, the UGL has a couple of suggestions for some great study places. Not only are there a variety of spaces, but there is something for everyone’s project needs.

The group rooms on the upper level of the UGL

First, we have the study group rooms, located on the upper level of the UGL. For group projects the group rooms are a great fit. There is an enclosed space, large table, and a TV screen where you can hook up your own laptop. Here you will be able to work and interact with your classmates.

Edit video or sound on these computers! Photo Courtesy of the Media Commons

Also on the upper level, we have the computer spaces in the Media Commons. If you need specific software, the UGL has iMacs on the upper level. These computers have a lot of programs for all your project needs. For video editing, sound editing, building databases, the Media Commons has got you covered. Visit this page of the Media Commons for a detailed list of the software and programs. All your work can be done here!

Computers on the lower level of the UGL

Some of us need complete silence to do our work in peace. Lucky for you, the lower level of the UGL is the quiet level of the library. You can have the convenience of a computer in a quiet zone and in a semi-private space. As you arrive in the lower level, the computers are located near the entrance, close to the Media Collection.

Lower Level Tables and Carrels. Photo courtesy of the Media Commons

For those who do not need a computer or already have a laptop, the lower level tables and carrels are perfect. The tables are perfect for laying out your notebooks, textbooks, gel pens, and other study necessities. You can find these tables all around the lower level of the UGL.

For more privacy, the carrels are a great place to study, They are just the perfect size for a textbook, notebooks, or laptop. This perfect space for one person allows you to fully concentrate on your work and projects. Like the tables mentioned above, the carrels are located all around the UGL on the lower level.

For study tips, be sure to check out our Pinterest board! Where is your favorite study space? Tell us below in the comments.